Study Abroad Programs in Dunedin, New Zealand

When I landed in New Zealand, I was freaking out. I knew absolutely no one and I had slept for around 4 hours in the last day of travel. But, I was met with the people who would make my abroad experience so special. The staff of IFSA truly felt like a safety net for me. I was so excited to go out with the friend I made through IFSA and try new things, putting myself out there, and every time I did, I knew that Sian and Christina would be there for me if I needed help. I truly felt safe and supported in Dunedin because of the IFSA staff. They threw us students together as soon as we got to the Pre-Orientation program, making it easy for us to meet each other and settle in. They continued to reach out through the semester for coffee catch ups or ice cream outings. The trips they planned for us were extraordinary. I fully attribute my ability to enjoy my time in New Zealand to IFSA and could not recommend studying abroad with IFSA more. In terms of the Otago program specifically, it was exactly what I wanted. The beach was a 25 minute bus ride away, and amazing weekend hikes were close by as well. The town of Dunedin is a college town through and through, so there's never a dull moment. Live music can be found just about every night of the week, and you're never more than a 5 minute walk from a coffee shop. To me, studying abroad with IFSA at University of Otago is a no-brainer. What I got out of the experience (new passions, a better understating of myself, and life-long friends) will stay with me forever.

When I arrived in New Zealand I was pensive and worried being so far from the United States. Thankfully, I made a good group of friends within my IFSA program. We would do homework together, explore the city, and I even went on a couple of hikes on the other side of New Zealand! Adjusting to the workload in another country was difficult at first, but with the support from my friends it wasn’t all that bad. The mountains I climbed with my friends made the mountains of work I had more bearable.